Visit Japan Web 2026: Do You Still Need It? FAQ & Common Problems Solved

Visit Japan Web (VJW) is a free web service operated by Japan’s Digital Agency. It lets you complete your immigration and customs declaration paperwork digitally before you land, instead of filling in paper cards on the plane.

Once you’ve registered, you receive a QR code on your phone. At the airport, you show the QR code to the immigration officer and again at the customs gate — replacing both the paper landing card and the paper customs declaration form.

VJW launched in November 2022 and has been continuously updated since. As of January 2024, both the immigration QR code and customs QR code were merged into a single unified QR code, making the airport process even faster.

VJW is entirely optional. You can still enter Japan the traditional way by completing paper immigration and customs declaration forms — either on the plane or at the airport. Immigration officers are accustomed to both processes.

Using VJW simply allows you to complete the paperwork in advance and move through the arrival queues more quickly.

Yes, completely free. VJW is a government service provided by Japan’s Digital Agency and there is no charge to register or use it. Be wary of any third-party websites that charge a fee to “help” you register — the official service at services.digital.go.jp is the only legitimate platform.

VJW is useful for:

• Foreign tourists and short-stay visitors arriving at one of the 8 supported airports
• Anyone who wants to reduce time spent in arrival queues
• Travellers who find it easier to fill in forms at home before the journey

VJW has limited benefit for:

• Japanese nationals (no Disembarkation Card required; customs declaration only)
• Foreign residents re-entering Japan with a residence card (immigration card not required; customs only)
• Travellers arriving at airports not on the supported list — paper forms remain required

VJW handles immigration and customs paperwork on arrival — it has nothing to do with visa applications. If your nationality requires a visa to enter Japan, you still need to apply for that separately through the standard visa process before travelling. VJW simply replaces the paper forms you would otherwise fill in at the airport.

VJW can only be used for expedited entry at the following eight airports. If your arrival airport is not on this list, you will need paper forms as usual.

There is no strict minimum — you can technically complete your registration right up until the moment you land. However, completing it at the airport with a tired phone battery and no Wi-Fi is not ideal.

Most travellers find the sweet spot is 1–3 days before their flight: your hotel booking is confirmed, your flight details are to hand, and you have time to fix any errors.

The registration process takes most people 10–15 minutes, assuming you have the following to hand:

• Your passport (for the bio-data page details)
• Your flight number and airline
• Your accommodation address and postal code in Japan

The first registration takes the longest because you set up your personal details. Subsequent trips to Japan are faster — your personal information is already saved, and you only need to register the new trip details.

VJW is available in Japanese, English, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), and Korean. You can change the display language from the settings menu at any time during registration.

VJW is currently designed for air travel only. Passengers arriving by cruise ship or ferry must use paper immigration and customs forms. Check with your cruise operator for the specific forms required at each port of call.

Children and other family members travelling together do not each need their own VJW account. The primary traveller (typically the account holder) adds family members during the trip registration process under “Family member accompanying you.”

The single QR code generated covers the entire family group for customs purposes. Each adult traveller who wants to manage their own independent registrations may create a separate account, but it is not required.

Your VJW account is permanent and reusable. Your personal details (passport information, nationality, etc.) are saved once and carried over to every future registration. For each new trip, you only need to enter the new flight details and accommodation address.

You can have up to 5 planned trips registered at the same time. If you add a 6th, the oldest entry is automatically removed.

You can create your account and save your personal details without an address, but you cannot generate the final QR code until the address fields are complete. The customs declaration and immigration forms both require a contact address in Japan.

If your accommodation is not yet confirmed, wait until you have a booking before completing registration. You can update your details at any time before landing.

You can edit your registration at any time before you enter Japan. Open VJW, navigate to your planned entry, and tap Edit. After saving changes, you will need to re-generate your QR code if one had already been issued.

An “under review” status is common for first-time VJW users and does not indicate a problem. Your QR code is still valid and should be presented at the airport as normal. The immigration officer will conduct a brief additional check, which is routine.

If “under review” persists across multiple trips, it is worth checking that all your personal details match your passport exactly.

Since January 2024, there is a single unified QR code that covers both immigration and customs. You show it twice:

1. At the immigration counter — the officer scans your QR code instead of processing a paper landing card. You still hand over your passport as normal.
2. At the customs gate — you scan the same QR code at the customs kiosk or show it to the customs officer, replacing the paper declaration form.

If you haven’t registered before boarding, you still have a few options:

• Complete VJW registration on the plane if you have mobile data or the airline provides Wi-Fi
• Register at the airport on arrival using the airport Wi-Fi — though this takes time and defeats some of the speed benefit
• Simply use the paper forms provided on the plane or at the airport as normal

There is no penalty for not using VJW.

• Raise your screen brightness to maximum
• Clean the screen with your sleeve
• Try showing a screenshot of the QR code instead of the live app
• If all else fails, let the immigration officer know. They can process you manually — this happens regularly and there is no issue with doing so.

In practice, the time saved varies significantly depending on:

• Flight timing — if several international flights land at the same time, queues form regardless of VJW
• Airport — Narita and Haneda handle far larger volumes than Kobe or Naha
• Your nationality — some nationalities are processed through faster dedicated lanes

That said, most VJW users report noticeably faster processing at the immigration counter specifically, since the officer can read your digital record instantly rather than deciphering handwriting. The customs step is also quicker with the QR code. On a busy arrival day, the difference can be 15–30 minutes.